The Wrestler Archives - ShowBizCafe.com

The Wrestler Archives - ShowBizCafe.com

Helmer Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” body-slammed the London Film Critics’ Circle Awards on Wednesday, winning best film and actor for Mickey Rourke.

However, helmer Danny Boyle’s awards season darling “Slumdog Millionaire” took the most awards on the night. The Mumbai-set thriller won honors for British film, British director and screenwriter (Simon Beaufoy).

Kate Winslet, also a firm favorite on the awards circuit, landed the actress prize for her perfs in “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader.”

Kristin Scott Thomas was feted as best British actress for the Gallic film “I’ve Loved You So Long.” British actor nod went to Michael Fassbender (“Hunger”).

David Fincher took the director prize for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” with that pic’s Tilda Swinton drawing supporting actress kudos.

Eddie Marsan was named supporting actor for his turn as a crazed driving instructor in Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky.”

Fast-rising thesp Thomas Turgoose, who came to the fore in Shane Meadows’ “This Is England,” scooped the inaugural young British performer nod for his roles in “Eden Lake” and “Somers Town.”

In other prizes, artist-turned-filmmaker Steve McQueen won breakthrough British filmmaker for “Hunger,” and “Waltz With Bashir” took foreign-language film.

The Dilys Powell Award for outstanding contribution to cinema was dished out to previously announced recipient Judi Dench.

The London Critics’ Circle, the film section of the Critics’ Circle, has more than 100 members who write for newspapers and magazines published across the U.K.

The awards were held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel as a fund-raiser for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Co-produced by Mumbai-based Reliance Big Pictures, “Horses,” which will shoot in New Mexico and New York, is part of a multipicture deal between Chopra and the Indian studio.

It also marks RBG’s first Hollywood effort since its parent company, Reliance Entertainment, funded DreamWorks’ exit from Paramount for $550 million.

Mark Johnson (“Chronicles of Narnia”) will executive produce the film, which is based on an original story by Chopra. It’s being turned into a screenplay by Indian writer Abhijat Joshi and script consultant Jason Richman (“Bangkok Dangerous”).

In a statement Friday, Chopra said that he met Rourke in Los Angeles after a special screening of “The Wrestler,” the film that earned him an Oscar nomination as well as the best actor prize at last month’s Golden Globes.

“I was bowled over by his performance,” Chopra said. “Both of us had an instant connect when we met in Los Angeles. He was my first choice and was finalized even before he won the Golden Globe. It’s great to have him on board for one of the key roles in the film. Mickey deserves all the acclaim he is getting, and I hope he wins the Oscar as well.”

Chopra is one of India’s best-known filmmakers, from his breakthrough feature as a director, 1989’s “Parinda” (Bird), to such recent producing successes as the comedy caper “Lage Raho Munnabhai” (Keep Going Munnabhai).

Chopra’s 1979 film “An Encounter With Faces” was nominated for an Oscar in the nonfiction short category.